Ross Harris murder trial: Jury sent home for long weekend
BRUNSWICK, Ga. - The earliest a verdict will be reached in the Ross Harris murder trial will be on Monday. The jury was sent home Thursday afternoon for the long Veterans Day weekend.
The jury had been at it for the last day and a half, asking to see evidence again and watch the police interview with Harris again.
In a sign that there may be tension, one female juror was seen in tears late Thursday morning. A second juror was consoling her.
It is not clear what the tears meant, but a county officials described the conversations from the jury room as "very spirited."
Wednesday, the six men and six women began the morning by watching the video of Harris' interview with Detective Phil Stoddard. They had asked the judge Tuesday for a transcript of the interview, but attorneys said they must view the video and could follow along with the transcript.
Jurors followed along the written transcript very closely. Harris appeared to cry for the first 6:00 of the hour and a half interview when he was in the interrogation room by himself. In the video, once Stoddard enters the room, Harris is fairly composed and goes into great detail about the "normal" day he left his son in his SUV.
Wednesday afternoon jurors asked to rewatch the video of Harris interacting with his now ex-wife Leanne Taylor at Cobb Police Headquarters.
After nine hours of deliberation, jurors did not reach a verdict.
On Tuesday, jurors asked for the legal definition of the word "wanton" and to see a life-size doll of 22-month-old Cooper Harris that prosecutors showed in several pictures during testimony.
More than one thousand pieces of evidence were given to the jurors on Tuesday. The jury is considering eight counts against Harris, including malice murder, felony murder, cruelty to children and dissemination of harmful material to minors.
The jury has heard testimony from dozens of witnesses since the trial began more than a month ago.
Closing arguments took place earlier this week.